Pitchside Perspectives: A Post-Soviet Football Experience in Almaty

I have likely attended hundreds of football games, mainly in London, Manchester and in the South of England, but a few in Portugal (due to a “lucky” scheduling coincidence between a family holiday to Portugal and a West Ham pre-season tour) and France, and one or two in the US. Attending a football game during a visit to Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan, is probably not at the top of your bucket list, but is well worth it. Kyrgyzstan v Tajikistan in the Asia Cup qualifiers in 2022 was my first taste of the game in Central Asia, but it turned out to not be my last. 

During a later visit to Kazakhstan in 2023, some well-placed advertising on the Almaty metro system informed me that Russian football giants Zenit St. Petersburg were in town, set to face local team FC Kairat. I had visited Kairat’s empty 23,000-capacity stadium on a previous trip and wondered if I would ever get the chance to see an actual game next time around. I was in luck. Tickets were easily available online, and cost less than $5. 

After setting the tone with a poor, albeit delightfully rare pint of Central Asian Guinness in one of the city’s Irish-style pubs (with decor that seems to be somewhat confused between Scottish and Irish imagery), we jump in a Yandex (the best choice of ride-share apps in the post-Soviet region), to the stadium. On the way, the taxi driver recommends his favourite pirate sites to watch his country’s European Championship qualifier match that same night, against Finland, a crucial fixture for Kazakhstan’s chances of making it through to the competition proper. A pre-game samosa, or “samsa” at one of the kiosks is non-negotiable. 

The queues at such spectacles in Kazakhstan are unwieldy and chaotic. Still, you get your ticket scanned after a while and navigate your way through a huge number of police and military vehicles parked around the ground, which appears to be sufficient enough to fight a small war or put down any significant trouble.

The stadium is large, overtly Soviet-style, and pretty full. The Kyrgyzstan v Tajikistan match of 2022 in Bishkek lacked any away fans, due to the ongoing political differences between the two states. This was not the case in Almaty, where at least hundreds of Russian fans made the trip. I couldn’t help but ponder how many of the away fans were actually living in Almaty and surrounding areas, after moving out of Russia as a result of the start of the Ukraine war and the increased perils at home.

The stadium is large, old, open, slightly dingy and bustling with atmosphere. Around the perimeter of the pitch, officials scan the crowd, donning what I would describe as the Soviet-style security apparatus uniform with large-brimmed hats, similar to the uniforms of the border control at airports across Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The old stadium is the Soviet archetype. Its size and grandeur make you feel small. You’re far from the pitch, and the seats seem like they were designed to collect just enough of yesterday’s latent rainwater to make you want to avoid sitting down like the plague.

The level of aggression, or even just competition between the two fan groups that is often witnessed at football games across Europe was not present that night. However, the passion of both supporter bases was clear. Football is a serious topic here. The emotion was a family-friendly one, which, in fairness, is the prevailing theme in most games across the UK nowadays. Long gone are the days of intense fan-based violence and hooliganism.

The game ended in a 2-2 draw, although Kairat took the initiative by scoring first, and were by far the better team. Leaving the ground is delightful chaos, with the police seemingly having no idea how to divert fans to the correct destinations.

As part of a money-saving drive, as this part of my trip came towards the end of my travels, I was staying way out of town, on the far western outer reaches of the city’s one metro line. The number of football fans on the train seemingly never decreased as the train made its stops along the way. Walking out of the Sairan metro station, the final stop, and my local accompanied by dozens of devout football fans and geezers, singing, playing instruments and waving the flag of FC Kairat, made an interesting addition to my list of football experiences across the world. No matter where you go in the world, the game is everything.